You know that little ditty from "The Sound of Music", sung at the abbey just after the beginning. You know the one. It's called "Maria".

The nuns sing so nicely, "What are we going to do about Maria?" But in Wellington, it is "What are we going to do about K Park?"

So many options. So many choices. Let's see, a community college. A medical campus. A business park.Anything else out there? There is one commonality though ... they all want the land donated.

Which leads me to some other song lyrics. This time from Meatloaf's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light". Those lyrics would be ... "Stop Right There."

What is the rush here? Why unravel years of work by Village Staff, the PRAB and Council when we got this land. Probably four years of work. Now, after just a few months in office the new Village Council wants to unravel this at warp speed? Why?

First, we should all get together and tell Council and Staff that there will be no support for a donation of this land. It is worth $300K to $500K an acre ... if they are so hellbent on getting rid of the land ... sell it. Especially in these times of economic difficulties the Village faces in the next few years. NO DONATIONS OF K PARK. To any organization. Including PBCC.

Second, if I were Sunrise Senior Living and land were donated for any reason ... I would be back in front of Council asking for my money back. After all, if they get it for free, why shouldn't they get it for free. Heck, at least they will be paying property taxes.

Third, in this time of increasing fuel costs, wouldn't it be nice to have an "employment center" in Wellington that would be office-based -- not retail-based (don't we have enough already?). People could live and work in the community ... supporting all those retail merchants and having a two or three mile commute and not a twelve or fifteen or more mile commute?

Fourth, we will need the park space. Trust me, after 10 years on the PRAB we will need it. That's why the Village went out and got it.

Fifth, oh, doesn't that proposal from earlier in the year that was completely disregarded by Council look pretty good now?

We need to tell the mayor that donating the land to anyone is not appropriate. No matter what anyone says. Then we need to tell each of the Council members.

We need to be vocal about it. Let's not let the Council make another decision that does not serve the interest of the community.

What do you think?

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This quote is from an English writer by the name of Steve Turner. You may ask, "why start with that quote?"

It is for a simple reason. This article.

Once upon a time, both recreation baseball and travel baseball were under the guidance of one sports provider. It did not work.

And putting them together now will not work. Let me share with you why it won't work.

In two simple words -- competing interests.

Recreation programs are primarily educational in nature. They are designed to give children the basics of the game and allows them to sample various athletic programs to find out which interests them the most.

Travel, sometimes referred to as competitive, teams are assembled to play against other teams from outside the local area.

And that's not all. Assuming there is a spot available, if your child signs up for recreational baseball, there is a "you pay, your child plays" standard.

Not so with travel teams. There are try-outs and only the best children are chosen for the teams. And there is no guarantee that you child will play in each game. That is just the nature of the beast.

Travel teams have higher costs than recreation teams. Higher enrollment fees and associated travel costs require a much higher commitment from children and parents in travel programs than in recreation programs.

Travel teams play almost year round. Recreation teams play 2 short seasons, roughly 2 months in the fall and 3, sometimes 4, months in the spring.

Those of you with short memories may recall what happened about 8 years ago when these two programs were run by one board. Conflict. Constant conflict that came to staff's attention and then to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board's attention.

In a compromise, to alleviate these conflicts, Debbie Brisson (then Parks & Rec Director) developed a plan that seemed to fit everyone's needs. It was fair and very structured on how the transition was to occur.

Frankly, it was a consensus between the two interests. To refresh your memory, a consensus is common ground where people can agree on most issues and can live with the decisions made on issues on which they do not agree. The fact of the matter is that it worked.

Occasionally, there were spats, but lovers (of the game) often have these. They were able to work things out and the two providers co-existed very well for years.

This brings a thought to mind. Actually a quote by George Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it."

Trust me on this, if the Village merges these two teams, both programs will be negatively affected. Yes, the recreation program will get sole access to the fields. The travel teams will be chased away. And the community will be worse off for it. In the end, the same old problems will rear their heads and the battle for separation of the two programs will begin anew.

Why has this come to the forefront you may ask.

All of this brouhaha revolves around a parent whose child did not make one of the travel teams and he raised enough stink about it to move it to this point. I have written on this before and will just say this is the squeaky wheel getting the grease.

The bottom line is this: the excuse of non-resident make-up of teams is being used as the scapegoat. I call bull on this. There is no requirement for Wellington residents to play in Wellington programs, so why should there be such a big issue over this. After all, if it is about money, non-residents pay more so the Village should be welcoming them with open arms.

What really cracked me up was this statement from the article: "With less money coming into the village after property tax reform, village staff said it was more efficient for parks and recreation staff to deal with only one governing body for baseball. The idea is that the staff member dealing with baseball could help with other duties."

Non-residents pay more, so that helps with economics. Besides, it is not the citizens' job to make staff's job easier. It is staff's job to make the programs available so the citizens can enjoy recreation in the Village.

The solution is easy if anyone really wants to solve this problem. Hire a program coordinator to run recreation baseball just like they do for soccer and bring baseball into the Village. Then let the travel provider run the competitive program. There's enough waste in the Village to find the funds to do this ... someone just has to stand up and say we can do it.

As I said earlier, merging the two programs is a mistake. This decision will alienate Village residents. Is this what we really want? Personally, I do not think so. That's not what local governments are supposed to do ... their job is to embrace the residents.

There are definitely some personal issues some folks have with travel baseball. And personal issues should be disregarded. After all the program is for the children of the Village ... not their parents. You all need to make sure the interests of the children are at the heart of the issue and nothing else.

This is a slippery slope for all of the travel providers. I hope Dr. Falzone and his organization keeps looking over their shoulder, because they are next.

There is a hidden agenda here and I will discuss that next week.

One final quote for your consideration from Karl Marx: "History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce." I think we are past the tragedy part.

Share with me your thoughts and feelings on the issue.

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After relaxing over the long weekend and gearing up for the political season, I came to realize that patriotism is going to be a key factor in the race.

So let's take a look at patriotism.

Let's begin with a look back at the 56 men that signed the Declaration of Independence.

Five of them were captured by the British, were tortured and died in Bristish hands.

Nine fought and died during the Revolutionary War.

Two lost their sons in the War and another had two of his sons captured by the British.

Twelve lost their homes. Many lost members of their families.

All were men of means and were well educated. Each knew full well that if they were captured, their penalty would be death. Many died in poverty ... wiped out in the war.

For these brave men, patriotism was not abstract. It had dire and immediate consequences. Yet they signed anyway.

What about today? Patriotism seems to be the most abstract of American values and virtues. And it seems that the symbols of patriotism are what we use to define it ... and fight over.

In my mind, many of these symbols are used, on purpose by politicians, to divide us. Exactly opposite of what we want them to be ... symbols of American unity.

There seems to be a great divide on patriotism here and now in America. One side feels that the greatness is based on what we have achieved as a nation. The other side believes that our greatness as a nation is based in our promise in the future and what we, as a nation, stand up for when we define our ideals.

Now, most of you will take some sort of offense at the following two statements ... but they are the underlying causes of why we, as a nation, do not come together more often.

Conservatives will contend they are the true keepers of our nation's heritage and attack liberals by stating they are ashamed of America. Liberals, in response, say conservatives prevent America from living up to its ideals.

And they are both wrong.

What we need to have is a view of patriotism that combines the two. We need to recognize what is great about America. Why so many want to come here. After all, you rarely hear that people want to go to Britain. Or Russia. Or China. No they want to come here for the vast land of opportunity we have as a nation. But with that realization of what makes us a great nation is the necessary appreciation for what we have to do (and did) to create and sustain that greatness.

When it comes to patriotism, conservatives and liberals need each other. The love of country requires not only affirmation, but an open mind to criticism.

Waving the flag is supposed to be a call to action. When it comes down just to the end itself, then we lose the dignity of the action and result we can create together. We must guard against the flag becoming an emblem of hypocrisy and complacency.

We should be proud of what America has accomplished and what it has yet to accomplish. For most of human exisitence, tyranny has been the standard. America has stepped away from that philosophy.

We aren't perfect, but we have become the "exception to the rule" and it started 232 years ago. So, comparing America to any other country is an exercise in futility.

Patriotism entails sacrifice. It is a faith in system of values, ideals and beliefs followed up with action and works. If not, then the promise of America rings falsely.

Our young men and women that have volunteered to fight in Iraq and Afganistan, and the men and women protesting against it, are truer patriots than the American who views it from afar on their televisions, shrugging it off by saying it's too far way. More importantly, they have no sense of conscience, and resulting action, they are willing to state publicly.

Let's look at patriotism in a new light. Let's show our patriotism as though we were the brave fifty-six signers of the Decalration of Independence.

Embrace the virtue of patriotism. Take a stand regardless of the consequence. America needs citizens willing to follow in the steps of the Signers and remind us all that rituals, carried on mindlessly and without passion, can be the true enemy of devotion.

Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln summed it up best in an eloquence to which I can only to aspire:

Jefferson: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Lincoln: "It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.

"It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

While you're at it, go pick up "The True Patriot" by Eric Liu and Nick Hanauer. It is a great read. And don't forget to teach your kids that America isn't too good to be true.

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I read the online version of the Sun-Sentinel just about every day. I enjoy the rotation of the articles during the day and usually read the comments on many of the articles.

As has been reported over the past several weeks, the Cultural Trust of the Palm Beaches has had its fair share of issues and problems. On my last blog entry, a commenter wrote that I should write about it in my community blog. After some thought, I felt it would be appropriate and here goes.

Before I address the Trust, I would like to make a few comments …

The written word is a wonderful tool. Context can be set merely by substituting one word for another. Take “truth” and “honesty” for example. Most people would take these words as representing the same thing. Not so, I say. You can be honest with someone, yet not be truthful. Or vice versa. If you need an example, just ask me.

That being said, I want to make a comment on the reporting in the two major dailies in the area. I think the reporting has been fair. In some cases I may disagree with the tone, but the reporting has been fair.

A close friend of mine, who is involved in many non-profit activities, made a salient point to me one day last week. A point that I have heard many times before – “your perception is your reality.” Our experiences, our point of view and our involvement all color how we perceive certain situations. And that perception becomes our reality. Your viewpoint and my viewpoint will have a definite impact on our perception of an issue. All I ask is that we try and meet each other in the middle.

On to the Cultural Trust of the Palm Beaches.

To start, let me give you a saying -- Chi cambia la via vecchia con la nuova, sa che lascia ma non che trova!

I have been involved with the Trust for just about a year. I first volunteered for the Trust at the request of a friend of mine for the Jazz Festival last year. I worked my butt off and had a great time with the organization. After the Jazz Festival, I was asked, again as a volunteer, to help with the building project. And I began working on that. In the summer I was asked if I wanted to serve on the Board of Governors. I was honored and said “yes”. So my Board involvement started in the August/September timeframe and I can only speak about Board issues from that point forward. My confidentiality agreement with the organization prevents me from disclosing great detail, but what I say in this entry is what I feel I can live with concerning this agreement.

Let’s start with the question, how did you become the Chairman? There were six members on the Board at the time and they voted me the position and I accepted on Saturday, April 12, 2008. So let me count the days … as I write this … 7.

What’s happened in the last week?

We, as a Board, told the Village of Wellington we would be doing an audit, scheduled for August, to coincide with the end of our tax year. We would then send it to the Village Manager as outlined in our lease.

I’m not going to go into the argument of they said they were doing the audit first or we offered to do it. It doesn’t matter. The Board recognized the fact that one needed to be done and set it up for August. The fact it is happening four months early really isn’t important. We wanted, and needed, to get one done. Now it is happening, just sooner rather than later.

The Board also recognized the current structure of the Board(s) is confusing and leads to misperceptions of what role people have in the organization. The Board of Governors is responsible for oversight of the organization and not the day-to-day management of the place. That’s the responsibility of the hired staff. The Board of Directors was intended to serve to help in fundraising efforts and no oversight of the organization.

This structure just doesn’t work.

An initiative to restructure the Board has been completed and is waiting on a final vote of approval. The Board of Directors will be disbanded. There will be one Board, the Board of Governors. This Board will have three distinct sub-boards.

First is the Executive Board, limited to 15 members, who will fulfill the current duties providing oversight to the staff. The EB will have a Chairman (votes only to break a tie), four Vice Chairs, a Secretary and a Treasurer at a minimum. One Vice Chair will serve as the Chairman if he/she is absent. The remaining Vice Chairs will provide oversight to the three distinct functions of staff. One Vice Chair will oversee Operations, one Vice Chair will oversee Finances and one Vice Chair will oversee Programming. I think we all know what the Secretary and Treasurer will do.

If anyone wants to help with these positions, feel free to email me through the Sun-Sentinel and I will be in contact.

Next there is the Advisory Board, with a limitation on membership numbers, generally speaking, no more than triple the number of the EB. The AB will serve as the sounding board and will provide advice and counsel to the EB on areas requiring improvement.

If anyone wants to help with these positions, feel free to email me through the Sun-Sentinel and I will be in contact.

Finally there is the Honorary Board which also has no limitation on membership. The HB serves in the background and helps with fundraising efforts.

Again, if anyone wants to help with these positions, feel free to email me through the Sun-Sentinel and I will be in contact.

The current Board of Governors (BoG, from now on) has also approved a three-phase plan to bring “trust” back to the Cultural Trust. This is the brutal part. It required some real examination into the organization. And it was not easy. But here is the framework for the plan.

Over the next 60 days the BoG will embark on the “Rescue and Resurrect” portion of the plan. The BoG’s intent is to approach people who may be willing to donate to the organization to get it out of the hole and moving forward. Yes, this means paying off debt. Yes, this means providing some operating capital. The Trust owes vendors money, estimated at about $100,000. The Trust has a line of credit that needs to be reduced. And BoG members, former and present, have lent the Trust money and they need to be repaid, perhaps as much as another $100,000. Then there is working capital, including funds to pay for the audit I mentioned earlier. This is an unknown sum, but can be projected to be about $100,000 to carry the Trust through to the end of the next season, if there is to be one. There may be more, but this is what I know right now. This will be a daunting task, to say the least.

Assuming the first phase can be completed successfully, the BoG plans on moving to Phase Two: “Reviving the Vision”. This phase will be an outreach to community leaders from the western communities. Communities such as Wellington, Royal Palm Beach, Greenacres, Loxahatchee, Belle Glade, Pahokee and western Lantana, to name just a few. This Phase will take place over the four months after Phase One and will look to get the leaders in these communities to tell the organization what their communities want from the Trust. This Phase will lead to the final Phase.

The Third Phase is called “Realizing the Dream”. As you might have guessed, this is the kick-off for the new season. The season is going to be slimmed down from this year’s season. Let me tell what is in and what is out. What’s out: Second City, Cabaret Series, Comedy Series. Note the series is out, not individual events. What’s in: theater (especially musical theater), Cabaret on Valentine’s Day, one Comedy evening, the Community Reading Event (based on the response, this may be expanded to two events) and the Palm Beach Jazz Festival. Potential add-on: a holiday musical in December. Essentially there will be one planned event each three to four weeks. A season that makes more sense to me and to the BoG as I hope it does for you.

I feel that’s quite a bit of recognition of the fact that change needed to occur and took corrective action to move forward. And it occurred in one week. That’s a pretty dedicated group of people that volunteer their time. If that doesn’t show folks how much they want to make this happen, then I don’t know what will.

Was the organization disorganized? Probably, and it was due to the fact there just weren’t enough operating funds to get and stay organized.

Was there anything malicious going on? I don’t think so.

Where there any financial improprieties? I just don’t know. That’s why the audit is important. It will tell everyone the plain, unvarnished facts.

And when it does, I will let the chips fall where they may. The BoG will deal with the issues and make the best decision for the organization. We really can’t to more than that.

Before moving on to what has been labeled the “burning issue”, I would like to comment on things the BoG has no control over at this time.

The Village has the right to take back the lease the Trust has today. The County has the right to stop funding the building project. Both of these decisions would be wrong decisions, in my opinion. Not because I invested time and effort in the organization, but because there are impacts to the community no one wants to acknowledge or address.

If these two events occur, there is only one outcome possible. The Trust will have to enter bankruptcy in some form. That means businesses won’t get repaid. That means creditors won’t get repaid. That means Board members that have loaned money won’t get paid. Businesses may close. Families may get disrupted.

But the biggest risk is to the Village. The County probably wants the Village to take over the project. If so, the Village would have to make up the difference between actual build out and the amount the County provides. The number everyone seems to see is $400,000. Exactly where will the Village find this money? The taxpayers. And that is not right. Let the Trust take on the task. Make the Trust accountable. Maybe the Village can help in some way, but not from a cash position.

There is also one little unanswered question rattling around my mind. If the Village takes back the lease, will they be responsible for the debts? That could add financial brouhaha to the mix. I’m sure staff will say “no”, but my guess is there is a rather enterprising attorney out there willing to a run at this. Don’t know for sure … but if you are an attorney, your comment might be an eye-opening one.

The best way to move forward is for the Village, the County and the Trust to work this out. Give 60 to 90 days, but commit the time and resources to make it happen. Let’s keep our personal issues out of this, on the County Commission, the Village Council and the Trust. If I were a betting man, working together this whole thing would make the entire project a better one. Just my two cents.

Let me finish with probably one of my favorite lines from a pretty good movie (Animal House, made in 1978):

D-Day: War's over, man. Wormer dropped the big one.
Bluto: Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!
Otter: Germans?
Boon: Forget it, he's rolling.
Bluto: And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough...
[thinks hard]
Bluto: the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go!

Continue reading "The story of a beleaguered organization" »

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Yes, there is another proposal for the K Park site.

For the most part, I am not really opposed to the idea presented ... but the details have me a little concerned.

First for the big picture. A few folks have gathered and feel a college campus would be a good idea for the site. You know what? It's a pretty good one. I like the idea of having a satellite campus here in Welly World.

But which one?

Some folks say Palm Beach Community College. This would not be my first choice for several reasons. Primarily, the main campus is not that far away so the need might not be here.

I'm not sure PBCC has the cash to purchase the land. In fact, the schuttle butt is they want the Village to donate the land. I really do not see this as something being feasible. You see, the Utility Fund needs to be paid back the $6,000,000 it is owed from the original purchase. If the land is not sold, from where will this money come? I certainly hope the answer is not "the taxpayers."

Then I have to wonder how FAU would view this as they have held sessions here for the past several years. Heck, if I was Frank Brogan I would be on the phone to The Mayor and saying, "What are you thinking?"

We have this relationship with FAU and maybe they would be interested in open a branch here, just like they have one in Abacoa. And if they can do buy-outs for hundreds of thousands of dollars, I'm sure they could raise the cash to buy this last piece of property from the Village.

And how will this affect PBA right up 441? Adult education for now. But why shouldn't the village entertain offers from them?

The college idea is a good one. One I support completely. But not if we have to donate the land. This is the last large piece of land in the Village and the Village had the foresight to buy it years ago. Now is not the time to donate the land.

Sell to a college/university. Good idea. Donate it ... bad idea.

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And I read this article.

I was flabbergasted. Not for the fact it was the first thing I saw but for other more "personal" reasons. Could not figure out if I was frustrated, disappointed or just plain old amused. Perhaps a combination of all.

Getting up on soapbox ...

Now, in no way am I trying to put blame on anyone. Just making a few comments about something that irks the crap out of me. As I read the article a few things jumped out at me and I wanted to make one or two points on this article (which was well written, in my opinion).

Let me preface my remarks with some disclosures. First, I am not married. Second, I really don't date that much. Third, I have a wonderful daughter that gives me insight to the feelings of these women.

Let's start with the last item. My daughter has two great role models as parents in her life. Me and her mom. Although we have different views on certain things, we are pretty much on the same page when it comes to our daughter. In fact, we were coming back to Wellington from Jacksonville on Saturday and our daughter made a pretty interesting statement.

Basically she said she appreciated how well we (her mom and me) worked as a team with her even though we are divorced. She said thanks for being good parents because she has seen how some of her friends' divorced parents act and she is glad we get along so well, even though we are divorced. Made me feel proud of how her mom and I decided to raise her. I couldn't ask for a better mom for her.

The key fact here is that we work as a mother and father. Something the children in this article probably will not experience. And that is sad ... for both the children and the women in the article.

Reading some of the comments on the article rang true to me. In many ways, this is a selfish act (a woman having a child with no father on purpose). Keep in mind that society view women in this role very much differently than men.

This comment, "Some are high-powered career women who can afford full-time nannies" smacks of the South Florida moral vaccuum to me. If you aren't going to raise your child, but rather chose to hire someone to do it for you, what possible rational reason do you have for giving birth to a child that isn't a selfish one? I can't see one.

Continuing on with this, I don't care what line of reasoning you can come up with, there is no good viable answer to this question -- "Why don't I have a daddy?" Of course you could always use the truth ... but that would require some self disclosure and a high level of self esteem to recognize and acknowlege said truth.

Don't get me wrong ... I do not blame these women. I blame those die-hard feminists who have been telling women for decades that they can have it all ... a rewarding career, a full family life and a rewarding and exciting (i.e., romantic) life with their spouse. For centuries, men have known this isn't true.

You have to make compromises. And compromise is not the same as "settling". When you compromise you make a decision. A simple one ... I may not like something, but you know, I can live with it. It goes something like this, "Well I know he'll probably take off his socks and leave them on the floor instead of throwing them in the hamper. It ticks me off, but I can live with it since overall he is a great guy."

Getting off soapbox ...

But the larger picture here is that raising a child is tough when two parents are actively involved. Doing it by yourself is tough. Really tough.

I understand the desire to have a family. In fact, it probably is the best thing that has happened to me. Doing it all by myself would be a challenge. I can't imagine doing it without the help of a spouse.

All I would encourage these folks is that they think about first. And make sure it isn't a selfish decision.

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Go out and vote today. Please. This is the run-off for the final council seat and it is really important.

After the brouhaha over the new mayor's comments -- we need to go out and make sure we get the right person in office.

As you may recall, the new mayor, Darrell Bowen, while campaigning, promised that the full re-payment from FEMA for the hurricanes a few years ago should be sent to the taxpayers that bore the burden. In fact he made a point of saying his word was as good as a guarantee.

During his first meeting he had to backtrack saying the Village should not return the funds to the taxpayers.

Now you can chalk this up to several things -- it was the usual politician seeking office making a promise he could not "guarantee" or he did not understand the issue or he made an honest mistake.

I don't know Mr. Bowen personally, but had the opportunity to deal with him on a business basis just once or twice. All I can tell you is that he was fair and honest in our dealings and, this being said, I tend to believe the last of the three options I noted above.

So, now this vote becomes critical. We all need to go out and vote. I feel Mr. Coates and Mrl Willhite will not make the same mistake. We need to make sure we hold their feet to the fire. The only way we can do this is to go out and vote.

So go out and vote on Tuesday the 25th. Please..

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Great news from this past weekend! And as a dad I am extremely happy to report this.

My daughter is on the Wellington travel cheerleading team called the Cougars. This past weekend they participated in a competitive cheerleading tournament and all three of the teams (Youth, Junior and Senior) did very well. Very well.

They took first place in each of their divisions! And the team was named the Grand Champion of the event. A first for the program.

While this is absolutely phenomenal news ... the best is yet to come. The Junior and Senior teams were extended an invitation to participate in the national championship in their age groups to be held in Virginia Beach in May.

Yes another of our local teams, sponsored through the Village of Wellington Leisure Services Department is making waves in the athletic world.

We should be proud of all of them ...

First, the young men and women that make up the teams. They have practiced hard since August to get where they are. Camps, practices, competitions. They gave their all and now it shows. A bid to participate in the national championship. Way to go kids! I am so proud of each and every one of you.

Second, the parents that support the kids. Thanks to all of you for getting them to practice and competitions. Thank you for paying the tuition each month. Thank you for helping all of these talented children bond and work together. You did great!

Third, to the coaches; Christina, Patti and Kathy. What a diverse group you have and how talented you are coaching them and bringing them to where they are today. I can not give you enough thanks. My admiration for what you have done is well deserved. You coached by gently prodding, encouragement and by being even-handed. No yelling or screaming ... just motivation for each and every child placed in your care. You are truly role models for these young folks and you should be proud of what you accomplished this year.

Fourth, to the Village Council and Staff. For not only making the program available and working an untried program into the system, but for supporting it as it grew and became more popular. I know it was a tough battle to fight some days, but thank you again for all of your support and help.

Finally, to all of you taxpayers out there that paid for the first class facilities we have to enjoy here in the Village. Without you, none of the successes the Village athletic programs would have been possible. Thank you so much.

Now to those of you driving around, keep a close eye out for a bunch of young ladies and men raising money to go to this competition ... help them out. Especially as there will be no "highway hold-ups".

Way to go Cougars!

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Today is election day in Wellington and 18 other communities in Palm Beach County.

It is our right and duty to vote and we need to make sure we exercise that right, especially these elections. Our actions today to vote or not to vote will have an impact on OUR community.

You might say that my vote doesn't count and you don't have time. You need to make time to go out and vote. Take your kids and teach them a great lesson on their repsonsibilities as a citizen.

Your vote does count. Not too awful long ago one of our Village Council elections was decided by 5 votes. So yes it is important.

And for whom to vote? That's a personal choice that carries a guarantee of secrecy.

But a few thoughts for you.

First, the next two years are going to bring many budget decisions that will be challenging to say the least. That being said, we need to retain our two incumbents, Mayor Tom Wenham and Councilman Carmine Priore.

Yes, I know it sounds like I support the good ole boys network, but that not true. I have known both of these gentlemen for many years. I have had many disagreements over the years with these two, but, you know what, we were always able to resolve them.

Personally, Mayor Wenham's demeanor on the council serves the community best as the steady hand on the wheel. It may appear that sometimes he sticks his finger up in the air to see which the way the wind blows, but isn't that what we really want? Someone that listens to us and takes the time to find out what we, as taxpayers, want. Then takes action on it.

Don't get me wrong, I like Mr. Bowen and his views and vision for the future. In a different time I would support him. But right now we need that steady hand, not the firm grip Mr. Bowen offers.

Councilman Priore and I have had disagreements about many things and have differences on which we may forever disagree, but I do respect this man. I don't know if any other councilperson is more prepared each every meeting than he is. Serving on Council takes a tremendous amount of time and the amount of time he dedicates to it still impresses me.

I met Mr. Christiansen several times and respect his point of view. We need him as that voice that continues to echo points that are important to all taxpayers. I trust he will continue to voice his concerns and be a vocal foil to the potential whims of the Council.

That leaves the final open seat on Council, one without an incumbent.

This was a hard choice for me. I really had things boiled down to two candidates, Howard Coates and Matt Willhite.

I think they are really close on their positions. Both are good choices. So which one?

As I mentioned earlier, I was torn. Then something happened on Saturday that made me choose. I was out washing the car when someone walked up to me and actually asked for my vote and gave me the reasons why I should vote for his candidate.

It didn't hurt I knew the guy that walked up to me, but I also respected the fact they came out and asked for my vote.

Now I don't think I have missed more than one or two elections in the past 15 years. I do go out and vote. You would think these candidates would look at that and come and ask me for their vote, as well as each and every one of my neighbors. It is not an ego thing.

Its a "I'm going to connect with the voters" thing. One of the biggest complaints has always been that the candidates never gets "into the trenches" and see voters one-on-one. And ask for their vote. Wow, what a concept. There is no big money there though. Just us lone voters.

That is what put him over the top. Matt, you have my vote since you asked. This is going to be the first step, I feel, to moving up to a county seat and even to the state legislature.

Good luck and God speed to all of you.

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There really aren't too many things that put me out, but this is definitely one of them.

I work quite a bit and am involved in several non-profit activities that take up a lot of my time. Because of this, I have chosen not to have a pet in my home. And I do not hold pet ownership against anyone.

But I am tired of owners that show irresponsibility with their pets, especially dogs.

I enjoy seeing owners walk their dogs past the house each day. For many, their children are with them and it becomes a family activity which is great.

But something happened yesterday that really ticked me off. Usually I don't see it, but it happened just as I drove up to my house. Folks, if you have a dog, and you take said dog for a walk, and said dog poops on my yard, I expect you to clean it up.

Walk around with a plastic bag (which most owners, by far, do) and pick that poop up. You wouldn't like it if someone did this to your yard ... I certainly don't appreciate when your dog does it in mine.

What would happen if someone followed you, picked up all of your dog's "deposits" and then dumped it in your yard? You would probably get more than a little ticked off, I'm guessing.

And now, to make matters worse, someone's dog decorated my back yard for me. My backyard, not theirs. Can't we show some responsibiity here? Some respect for our neighbors?More than that, a little common courtesy?

The next time I see someone without a plastic bag for their dog, I am going and getting one of the thousands of Publix bags I seem to keep forgetting to take back to them for recycling, give it to them and tell to clean up after their pet.

Flame away pet owners, but you bear a little responsibility in this because a few irresponsible people are ruining what people think of you. It's that "guilt-by-association" thing.

I'm fed up with this and I'm not going to take anymore crap about it! BTW, pun intended.

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